The present invention relates generally to cribs, and more particularly, to a crib with a safety locked drop side rail.
A conventional crib includes a drop side rail that can be lowered to place a child in the crib or to remove the child from the crib. Various arrangements are known for raising and lowering the drop side rail.
One such arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,556, issued Feb. 16, 1988. Specifically, a bracket is secured to the drop side rail and includes inwardly facing L-shaped ears which engage around a guide plate fixed to a corner post of the crib, to guide the drop side rail between its raised and lowered positions. The bracket includes a bayonet type slot at an upper edge thereof which receives one L-shaped ear in a locking engagement when the drop side rail is raised. In order to lower the drop side rail, the drop side rail is raised and then pushed inwardly to remove the engaged L-shaped ear from the bayonet type slot, whereupon the drop side rail can then be slid down to its lowered position.
During the sliding movement of the drop side rail, both L-shaped ears engage the guide plate to provide a stable sliding motion. However, in its raised, locked position, the L-shaped ear positioned in the bayonet type slot is the only L-shaped ear engaged with the guide plate. As a result, the drop side rail is not very stable. Also, during the lowering operation, when the drop side rail is first raised and then moved inwardly, initially, neither L-shaped ear is in engagement with the guide plate. As the drop side rail is moved further inwardly, the other L-shaped ear is the only ear in engagement with the guide plate, at least until the drop side rail is lowered to the point where the engaged L-shaped ear passes below the bayonet type slot.
Because only one L-shaped ear is in engagement with the guide plate, this can lead to instability of the drop side rail, and it is possible that the bracket can inadvertently become disengaged from the guide plate.